Lasco, Rodel D.

Degrees

B. Sc. Forestry, University of the Philippines Los Baños

M.Sc. Forestry, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Ph.D. Forestry, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Rodel D. Lasco has more than 30 years of experience in natural resources and environmental research, conservation, education and development at the national and international level. He obtained his academic degrees at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos with specialization in forestry and environmental science.

His work has focused on issues related to natural resources conservation, climate change and land degradation. He is an author of the IPCC, the 2007 co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He is also a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in the Philippines.

He is a multi-awarded scientist with over 80 technical publications in national and international journals dealing with the various aspects of natural resources conservation and environmental management. He pioneered research in the Philippines on climate change adaptation in the natural resources sector, the role of tropical forests in climate change/global warming, and the policy implications of the Kyoto Protocol. He also spearheaded the Philippines sub-global component of the global Millennium Ecosystems Assessment which is designed to assess the role of ecosystems and their biodiversity in providing services for human well-being.

Tropical reforestation (TR) has been highlighted as an important intervention for climate change mitigation because of its carbon storage potential. TR can also play other frequently overlooked, but significant, roles in helping society and ecosystems adapt to climate variability and change. For example, reforestation can ameliorate climate-associated impacts of altered hydrological cycles in watersheds, protect coastal areas from increased storms, and provide habitat to reduce the probability of species' extinctions under a changing climate. Consequently, reforestation should be managed with both adaptation and mitigation objectives in mind, so as to maximize synergies among these diverse roles, and to avoid trade-offs in which the achievement of one goal is detrimental to another. Management of increased forest cover must also incorporate measures for reducing the direct and indirect impacts of changing climate on reforestation itself. Here we advocate a focus on “climate-smart reforestation,” defined as reforesting for climate change mitigation and adaptation, while ensuring that the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on reforestation are anticipated and minimized.

There is increasing interest to combine adaptation and mitigation measures that provide win–win solutions to climate change. Agroforestry systems offer compelling synergies between adaptation and mitigation. This article reviews the empirical evidence from various studies on how trees and agroforestry systems enhance smallholders' capacity to adapt to climate risks. Agroforestry systems improve resilience of smallholder farmers through more efficient water utilization, improved microclimate, enhanced soil productivity and nutrient cycling, control of pests and diseases, improved farm productivity, and diversified and increased farm income while at the same time sequestering carbon. Although these seems very promising, tradeoffs may arise both at the farm and landscape scales.Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Climate change is projected to alter the geographic distribution of forest ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the consequences of climate change on geographical distributions and habitat suitability of 14 threatened forest tree species in the Philippines. Based on the principle of maximum entropy, it utilized a machine algorithm called Maxent to estimate a target probability distribution and habitat suitability of the selected species. Threatened forest tree species occurrence records and sets of biophysical and bioclimatic variables were inputted to Maxent program to predict current and future distribution of the species. The Maxent models of the threatened species were evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristics Area Under Curve (ROC AUC) and True Skill Statistics (TSS) tests which revealed that the models generated were better than random. The Maxent models ROC AUC values of the 14 species range from 0.70 to 0.972 which is higher than 0.5 of a null model. Based on TSS criteria, Maxent models performed good in two species, very good in ten species, and excellent in two species. Seven species (Afzelia rhomboidea; Koordersiodendron pinnatum; Mangifera altissima; Shorea contorta; Shorea palosapis; Shorea polysperma; Vitex parviflora) were found to likely benefit from future climate due to the potential increase in their suitable habitat while the other seven species (Agathis philippinensis; Celtis luzonica; Dipterocarpus grandiflorus; Shorea guiso; Shorea negrosensis; Toona calantas; Vatica mangachapoi) will likely experience decline in their suitable habitat. This study provided an initial understanding on how the distribution of threatened forest trees will be affected by climate change in the Philippines. The generated species distribution models and habitat suitability maps could be used as basis in formulating appropriate science-based adaptation policies, strategies and measures that could enhance the resilience of those threatened forest tree species and their natural ecosystems to current and future climate.

Predicting geographic distribution and habitat suitability due to climate change of selected threatened forest tree species in the Philippines - ResearchGate.